


amor vincit omnia

by daydreamingstarchild



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Always, Comforting, Death, Dementors, Despair, F/M, First Kiss, Golden Snitches (Harry Potter), Grief, Love, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), One Shot, Party, Promises, Quidditch, Victory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25929553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamingstarchild/pseuds/daydreamingstarchild
Summary: a collection of one-shots concerning a feisty redhead and a mischievous dark-haired youth
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Petunia Evans Dursley & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Kudos: 15





	1. forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trembling lip, a defeated sigh. 'Promise you'll warn me when forever starts to end,' she says.

Weak moonlight filters through the windows of the Gryffindor common room, stopping just short of the couple curled up on the hearth. The flames dancing in the fireplace are reflected in the hollow green eyes of Lily Evans as she struggles to keep the tears in. She wouldn't cry about Tuney. _Not again, not anymore._

The last of the students have shuffled their ways up to the dormitories, and Lily's heavy breathing is all too loud in the silence they've left behind. James says nothing, but simply holds her closer, as close as he can. She would speak when she needed to, when she _wanted_ to, and he is content to wait, stroking her hair and rubbing her back.

'Why didshe have to write?'

Hazel eyes meet hers as Lily pulls away slightly to look at him. 'Why did _she_ have to write?' she repeats, her voice breaking. 'She hasn't bothered in the last four years. Why her?'

'She's your sister,' James murmurs, and the steadiness, the warmth, in his voice grounds her. 'There was no one better.'

Lily knows that, of course. Who better to break the news of the parents' deaths to a sister but another?

Tuney had made it out to be all her fault. _Lily's_ fault.

Lily's fault that the spell on the charmed clock on the mantelpiece had deteriorated over time. Lily's fault that Petunia had tried to fix it the Muggle way, the _correct_ , _normal_ way, with batteries. Lily's fault that electricity and magic hadn't gone hand-in-hand, that— that Petunia had returned from work to a house on fire, exactly too late.

And before she knows it, she is sobbing into James' shirt, shoulders shaking uncontrollably. She can feel him saying something to her, saying something over and over again — or maybe it is many somethings. She doesn't know.

It takes a while for her to regain control of herself, but he doesn't complain. She doesn't need to be in control of herself — she's just lost her _parents_ , for god's sake. It's perfectly okay, it's _right_ , for her to not be okay.

James doesn't stop speaking in her ear. He keeps up a steady stream of love and support, and finally, at long last, it pulls her out of the depths of her despair.

'-not your fault, you know it's not. It was an accident, but the fault wasn't yours, darl-'

'Whose was it, then?' she asks bitterly. 'Tuney's?'

He swallows, shaking his head slightly. 'Not hers, either.'

Quiet falls over them; Lily's calmed down, her breaths more even. She's the one who breaks the silence again. 'I've no one left.'

The four words are spoken with a chilling calm that strikes something deep in James. It is his voice that breaks this time as he whispers, 'That's not true. That's not true at all. I love you, Lily, and I'll love you _forever_.'

A trembling lip, a defeated sigh. 'Promise you'll warn me when forever starts to end,' she says.

'I promise it never will.' 

A small smile, a slight squeezing of his hand. A soft kiss pressed to the top of her head.

 _Years later, that promise rang in her ears as she shoved a chair under the handle of the door and retreated into the corner, clutching her_ — their— _baby. The promise, and the thud of his body hitting the floor._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (this is all reposted because I figured this was a better format to have it in!)
> 
> Leave a kudos and comment if you like, and I'm very open to prompts!


	2. breathe, trust and let go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'You don't always need a plan, it seems, because mine didn't work for the six years I stuck to it,' he says, laughing lightly.
> 
> Lily shakes her head. 'Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens.'

_It all started the day James politely moved aside to let her pass_ , Lily decides as she follows Marlene, Dorcas and Mary down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

The day he didn't force himself too close, or reach out and tap her on the nose, or wink. The day he said nothing but a simple 'hello', the day he looked away before she haughtily could. 

That day, his smile was small and taut, and Lily's scowl faltered.

Over the next few weeks, she began to notice things about James that she never had before. Him helping lost first-years to class, him being encouraging to anyone who looks like they need it. Him lighting up after a particularly tricky piece of Transfiguration successfully completed, and him regularly bestowing surprisingly warm hugs upon his friends. He'd even stopped hexing every other student in the hallways, and ignored Severus more than he insulted him.

She tries not to think about some other things she notices, such as the way his voice has deepened over the summer, or the dimples — _had he always had them? he must have_ — or the flecks of gold and green in his hazel eyes, or his crooked jaw.

James Potter had changed for the better, and Lily Evans was not ready.

She is pulled back to reality by a light smack on the arm, and turns to face a giggling Mary. 'Stop staring!' she cries, and Lily flushes as she realises who her gaze had been trained on for the past-

'-six minutes!'

'Shut up,' she mutters, glaring at Dorcas.

Marlene's smile cuts upwards, and Lily regrets ever telling them about her crush. Because that was what it was — a crush. On James Potter, who was now a friend of hers, though there was something between them that neither could cut through. Lily was stubborn, not stupid. Well, they'd have found out anyway, so she simply sighs through their insisting she do something about it soon, just as she does every other day.

Today, though, Marlene calls her a coward, and that's going a step too far.

'Fine!' she hisses, and the triumph in her friends' faces tells her she walked right into their trap. 'But I'm telling you, he doesn't like me anymore.'

Dorcas snorts. 'Lily, that dork has been in love with you since we were 11. You think he doesn't look at you anymore, but he does.' Her tone is gentle as she finishes, 'He's probably under the impression that he'll have to pine after you for the rest of his life, that he's respecting your wishes by staying away.'

A part of Lily refuses to believe it, but hope is powerful.

─────────────

Her spirits a-flutter, Lily makes her way down to the little grove of weeping willows on the far side of the Great Lake after Charms. She's hoping to find James there, meaning to draw him away from Sirius, Remus and Peter and bare her heart to him, once and for all.

No boyish laughter floats up to her as she nears her destination, and she's about to head back to the castle when a speck of gold whizzes towards her. Lily has never been a great flier, but her reflexes are impeccable, and her fingers close around the Snitch just before James' close around hers.

All he can do is stare at their hands, and all she can do is stare at him. A moment of stunned silence passes, and another, and then Lily's lips are pressed to James' before she has time to think it through.

What surprises her is how quickly he reacts. She'd expected him to tense, to freeze, maybe even pull away, but he doesn't. There's no hesitation at all as his free arm circles her and he bends her back ever so slightly, returning her kiss with a passion that surprises them both.

Lily and James break apart breathless, at a loss for words. Finally, he rasps, 'Really?'

She flushes, looking away, but a smile of blindingly pure delight blossoms on his face and suddenly they're drowning in the bliss of another kiss.

─────────────

A while later, Lily's head is on James' shoulder as they sit at the foot of a tree, looking out over the Lake. There aren't very many people around, and the only sound for a long time is their breathing.

'You know, I thought you didn't like me anymore,' says Lily, her voice low.

'I didn't know you missed my attentions so much, Evans,' is his reply, and it is promptly followed by a jab to the ribs. He smiles and continues, 'I never gave up on you. I don't think I can. Remus, well, he gave me to understand that you weren't exactly joking when you called me everything that you did. I _was_ quite obnoxious; I see it now. Things happened over the summer, so I made an effort to be better when I returned. To show you, and everyone, the person I was inside, not the person I thought would impress you. I figured I'd have better chances of gaining at least your friendship if I tried to force your love less.'

She looks down at her hand, still clutching the Snitch. 'Smart guy, that Remus. He sure knew what he was doing.' Lily smiles at him, and his breath catches because there is something deeper than platonic love shining in her emerald eyes, and it is shining for _him_.

'You don't always need a plan, it seems, because mine didn't work for the six years I stuck to it,' he says, laughing lightly.

Lily shakes her head. 'Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens.'

She unfurls her fingers, letting the Snitch disappear with a whimsical smile. Her hand feels empty for a moment before James laces his fingers through hers, and she is complete. ****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated, and you can send a prompt my way too!


	3. loving me, loving you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'But,' she says, as he holds her up, firmly, 'what if loving you meant I couldn't love myself?'

The first of many Firewhisky bottles pops open to raucous cheering, the common room all but exploding as Marlene McKinnon, Gryffindor Seeker and star of the evening, hoists the Quidditch Cup into the air. Her face, like the faces of the rest of the team, is flushed — flushed with excitement and with adrenaline, with pride and with well-deserved, well-won victory.

James Potter, Chaser and Captain, surveys the room from above, seated on the shoulders of some fifth-years who are only too happy to have the honour of carrying him. This, he decides, is where he's meant to be, forever and ever, flashing cocky grins and bathing in the limelight, as drunk on admiration as on the brilliant liquid swirling in his glass that his sixth-year self isn't strictly allowed to have. He laughs as Sirius roars, '480 TO 230 TO GRYFFINDOR!' for the hundredth time that night; he laughs as Frank and Alice re-enact the beautifully executed Wronski Feint that left Hufflepuff's Binsky with a mild concussion; he laughs as clumsy Peter slips and falls only to be pulled up by too many hands, all his missteps as Keeper forgotten; he laughs, and he laughs, and he laughs, till he meets the stern emerald eyes of one Lily Evans.

Condescending, harsh judgement flickers in her gaze before Lily turns away, her congratulations as hearty as anyone else's, directed at everybody _but_ James. He shrugs it off, but it is the one thorn pricking at his joy and euphoria, and he cannot ignore it forever.

─────────────

Hours later, and the Quidditch Cup is lying on its side in the corner, forgotten and unwanted; Sirius and Remus have disappeared into a shadowy nook, which seems to be the source of uncharacteristically high-pitched giggles and many throaty exclamations of '10 points to Sirius'; Marlene's legs, identifiable by her distinctive red shoes, are sticking out from under a couch, incoherent mumbling the only response to Alice's coaxing; and, perhaps strangest of all, Lily and James are slow dancing to one of the Weird Sisters' craziest tracks.

'Only slightly tipsy,' she tells him, and, surprisingly, her words aren't slurred, although her eyes are far too innocent for her to be completely clear-headed.

He nods, a laugh bubbling out of him. 'Otherwise you wouldn't be dancing with me, would you?'

Very conversationally, as though discussing the weather, she replies, 'No, I don't believe so. And do you want to know why?' She doesn't wait for an answer. 'Because you're conceited, Potter, and that's not a very nice thing to be.'

'You could still love me, though,' he grins, finishing with a little hiccup that startles them both. Lily stumbles and he catches her, but the sudden shock brings her back to her senses (or so she believes). She blinks, before understanding that this must be a figment of her imagination, a dream, a nightmare. And so she replies truthfully, because if it's a dream, a nightmare, what harm could it do?

'But,' she says, as he holds her up, firmly, 'what if loving you meant I couldn't love myself?'

James' brows furrow, and she can't help but admit he looks _cute_ when he does that — the thought elicits a very un-Lily-like titter, but he doesn't seem to notice. 'Why?' he asks childishly.

She reaches out to tap him on the nose, eyes wide and serious. 'Because you might have a good heart, Potter, but there's too much,' here she waved a hand, 'arrogance, and selfishness, and insensitivity. You're not all that great, and you're not nice, either, so if I loved you, I'd be going against myself, and that's not okay, is it?'

 _This is definitely not real_ , Lily decides, even as her swaying grows less steady, because James actually looks ashamed. _He_ knows it's not a dream, because his dreams have Lily telling him that she's realised she's loved him all along, not her hitting him with cold, hard, bitter truths.

'Give me a chance,' he pleads, but even the Firewhisky can't keep his smirk up, and she shakes her head and smiles a befuddled smile at him.

They don't say anything more that night.

─────────────

Everyone wakes up in their own beds with all traces of the party gone, and everyone mutters a fond 'Bless the house-elves.'

Lily doesn't tell anyone about her strange dream, and James doesn't know why he wakes up resolved to be a better person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments and kudos and prompts and I may find some motivation :)


	4. never, always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'I don't believe in never, Evans,' James says, trying for jauntiness to mask the despair he feels.
> 
> 'I don't believe in always.'
> 
> 'They do say that opposites attract.'
> 
> Emerald eyes flashing, she retorts, 'Never.'
> 
> Crookedly grinning, he whispers, 'Always.'

A hiss and a shove, and Peter Pettigrew stumbles out into the hallway, large hands clutching, covering his face. It is ostensibly due to the slimy mess of wriggles visible through his fingers, though it also happens to be highly effective in hiding the grin he can't hold in.

The timing is practically perfect — it's easy when you have enchanted maps at your disposal — and soon, a sallow teen with dark, curtain-like hair rounds the corner, an animated redhead at his side, hands moving wildly in accompaniment to her rapid words. It's the redhead that matters, of course. Peter, and the three boys eagerly watching from an empty classroom, couldn't care less about _Snivellus_.

Lily stops short at the — frankly gruesome — sight that meets her eyes. 'Peter?'

The boy swallows, readying himself, before crying out, 'Lily! I don't know what this is, help me, please!' It's overdone, highly, and for a moment, she's about to roll her eyes and brush past him. Peter forces out another whimper that sounds suspiciously like a giggle, and on the off chance that something really _is_ wrong, she sighs and walks closer.

'You should probably go see Madam Pomfrey for that,' says Lily, wracking her brains to put a name to this jinx but coming up with nothing. Before she can say anything more, who happens to saunter around the corner but the highly insufferable James Potter.

A single eyebrow rises condemningly, and Lily shoots James a withering glare that would have made anyone with a smaller ego quail. This situation is so _obviously_ engineered.

'Good afternoon, Evans,' says James, his usual smirk on his lips. He doesn't bat an eyelid as Severus hisses at him, and Lily's cool, warning, 'Potter' is the only reason the jinx on James' tongue doesn't roll off it.

Instead, his eyes stray to Peter and widen in surprise and shock. Lily has to admit, he's a great actor. 'What have you gotten yourself into?' he exclaims, peering at the shorter boy. 'Here, let me handle it for you.' James brandishes his wand and mutters something under his breath, and the growth on Peter's face clears to reveal a radiant smile.

It's enough to make Lily doubt her suspicions — maybe Peter really _was_ hexed, and James really _was_ helping — but then James glances her way, hazel eyes alight with hope and conceit, a strange combination, and she _knows_ she is right. Just another something to make Lily fall in love with him. _As if!_

With a shake of her head, she begins to walk away, beckoning to Severus, but finds her path blocked before she can leave. Her eyes travel upwards — she's still not used to the effects of James' growth spurt over the summer — and meet his with defiance, though she's not entirely sure what she's defying. His arrogance, maybe.

'Out of my way, Potter,' she says, her words clear and steady. She goes to step around him, but he moves closer, stopping her once more. Refusing to give way, she stares him down and repeats her command.

'Come on, Evans, you can't tell me that wasn't impressive.' James sighs when she ignores him, his voice tired as he continues, 'What can I do that _will_ impress you?'

'Nothing _you_ do will ever impress me,' she replies with a toss of her flaming head.

'Evans, you know I'll always love you, don't say that.' The tenderness in his tone has long ceased to surprise her, and there is no twinge of guilt to overcome as she answers, 'And I will never love _you_.'

Both of them ignore Severus' grumbling.

'I don't believe in never, Evans,' James says, trying for jauntiness to mask the despair he feels.

'I don't believe in always.'

'They do say that opposites attract.'

Emerald eyes flashing, she retorts, ' _Never_.'

Crookedly grinning, he whispers, ' _Always_.'

Lily steps forward, and James leans towards her almost instinctively, eyes flicking down to her lips before fluttering shut. The kiss never comes, and for a moment he thinks she's left. Then, something sharp and pointed jabs him in the chest, and James is blinking down at tip of Lily's wand, pressed to his heart.

Her only reason to regret hexing James Potter is Severus' unbridled, venomous glee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos a day keeps my motivation from flying away (it already has, but, you know what I mean)


	5. flames in the wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like flames in the wind, like shooting stars, they were ephemeral but unforgettable, the fireworks that light up the world and stayed long after you closed your eyes.

The first night in Azkaban was a mindless blur of hysteria and despair. The second, of anger and disbelief.

The third night was the night of aching loss, and of memories. Strange, wasn't it, that Lily and James lived a life so short but so very full? Like flames in the wind, like shooting stars, they were ephemeral but unforgettable, the fireworks that light up the world and stayed long after you closed your eyes.

They'd always been so quick at everything. James had been quick to strike up conversation with the three boys he found in the compartment he'd chosen, and quick to declare himself a Gryffindor. He'd been quick to mock the sallow boy in the corner, and Lily had been quick to retaliate. James had been quick to notice her beauty, and she quick to dismiss his.

James had been quick to show off in Transfiguration, Lily quick to outdo him at Charms. If he was a natural on the Quidditch pitch, she was determined to be the very best at Wizarding Chess in the year. He'd been quick to attempt to garner her favour, and she somehow quicker to declare her absolute contempt for him.

It took him a while to see the error in his ways, but not very long to come to terms with it and begin to change. She'd been quick to notice, if hesitant to accept it. Their stars were aligned though, and a flash of Patronuses heated her cheeks and lit up his eyes.

Lily was adamant about joining the Order of the Phoenix immediately after graduating, and James quick to follow her. Maybe it was the constant danger they were in, or the slight sickness Lily seemed to feel at times, but they married early, a quiet ceremony overflowing with love and hope.

They were twenty when Harry was born. They had one year with their darling boy. They were twenty-one when they died, their flames extinguished as suddenly as they'd laughed and cried, hated and loved.

Maybe Lily and James were destined for their deaths as they'd been destined for each other, and maybe they'd known, rushing through life as they did.

Sirius tries to find solace in the thought as the darkness thickens and the cold sets him shivering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's really short, but the idea has been floating around my head for ages and I needed to get it out. Hope you like it, and if you do, leave comments and kudos and prompts for more!


End file.
